Midway through the second session on day three at Dubai
International Cricket Stadium, Australia were calmly placed at
0-142, with Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja both having struck
confident half-centuries.

Suddenly, Finch drove straight into the hands of Asad Shafiq at
short mid on, and his debut knock had ended on 62.

It was brilliant captaincy by Sarfraz Ahmed. A fuller length
ball angled in by Mohammad Abbas was driven by Finch, and Shafiq
did the rest, basically standing on the pitch.

Finch had faced 161 balls for his 62. It was a solid knock, a
hint of proof he can hack it in the five-day format against the red
ball. His opposite, Khawaja, was at the other end on 70 from 149
balls. One of them had disappeared, but there were nine others to
pick up the slack.

When first-drop Shaun Marsh edged a full-blooded drive to hand
Bilal Asif his first Test wicket, Australia were 2-162.

Two overs later, Khawaja's premeditated attempt to sweep went
wrong. He was gone for 85, and Australia were 3-167.

Travis Head came and went. Marnus Labuschagne didn't do any
better. Australia were 5-171. They lost five wickets for 29 runs,
and four for 11 after Finch got out. The tea break couldn't have
come sooner.

After tea, Bilal ended up with six as Abbas grabbed four.

Australia, all out for 202.

They had lost 10-60.

It was all too much for new Australian coach Justin Langer, who
held an open discussion in the middle of the ground. With him were
a handful of the batsmen at the centre of the collapse, as well as
Matthew Renshaw, who missed selection for the match.

Langer's body language was telling. In an age of
behind-closed-doors private team meetings, Langer was making his
intentions as clear as possible, if in another effort to provide
Aussie cricket fans of an image of the authority the side
supposedly lacked at the height of the Newlands saga.

Debutant Finch effectively started the rot, but the nine wickets
that fell after he departed had no relation to his dismissal. He
was trying to score, having scored already. He wanted to face more
deliveries than the 161 he ended up facing. He tried to take
responsibility for the collapse, but it simply wasn't his
fault.

The nine batsmen below he and Khawaja ended up facing a combined
165 balls.

"The way that they really controlled the run rate and squeezed
us just before lunch and after lunch... they bowled extremely well
and put us under a lot of pressure.

"You know once you get new batters at the crease in these
conditions it can be really tough.

"That was my bad for getting out right then when it was probably
coming towards the end of that little period, and not going on and
getting through."

After the day's play, Finch conceded Bilal had executed his
plans to perfection, but was adamant the Aussies didn't panic.

"It wasn't panic... all the guys who walked in still had really
clear plans with what they wanted to do and what they've been
practicing and their preparation's been fantastic in the lead-up,"
Finch said.

"It's just a different environment when you walk out and there's
guys all around the bat which is tough to replicate in the nets and
things like that.

Regardless, after Australia had enjoyed their best opening stand
in Asia since 1994 - and its second-best of all time on the
subcontinent - they became the third side to have ever lost 10
wickets for 60 runs or less after starting the innings with 100 runs without
loss.

Incredibly, it wasn't even Australia’s worst ten-wicket collapse
of the year. In Cape Town, Australia lost 10 for 50 - falling from
0-57 to 107 all-out - a day after the ball-tampering scandal
erupted.

As soon as the Aussies went back out onto the field to have
another crack with the ball, Nathan Lyon and Jon Holland combined
to take three quick wickets, Pakistan ending the day 325 runs
ahead.

However, the pitch will deteriorate further. Pakistan wickets
will fall, and the Aussies will celebrate each one. But it doesn't
hide the fact that Bilal and Yasir Shah, in particular, will be at
them again on a more-volatile surface, possibly as soon as the
fourth day's afternoon sessions.